Final announcement?

[Francois Blawat]

I still wonder if GenArts knew this was coming and did not want to update our particleillusion program. Still not sure why Alan did not have some kind a clause in his buy-out. Back in 2007/2008 he was talking about version 3.5 and 4.0. I’m still a little miffed that this software was “left to die”.

I mean, for crying out loud Alan got his rights back from the previous company so he could improve it! 🙂 Here’s hoping something good arrives for particleillusion.

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FixitMad

[Bob Moyer]

Francois, I am hoping also…but I think Elvis Deane may have known something was amiss when he started his post with RIP, and Alan also must have known this was coming but could not say anything. What’s that old saying about ‘buyer beware’?

Bob

[Francois Blawat]

Bob,

It just seems lately that innovative software almost always seems to get gobbled up by larger companies wanting to “take the code” and incorporate into their overpriced software. I really hope I’m wrong, but in the near future I see Large Companies only and innovation out the door.

I really hope someone can pickup where Alan left us and start making improvements to this software without having us pay a Yearly Fee to keep using it like in Adobe’s case.

It was weird and sad to see Alan says he is now in a different part of the industry? I’m not sure why that means, but sounds like he is done with looking back at his “code”.

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FixitMad

[Ron Lindeboom]

Reading your gripes really causes me to have to pen a few lines in defense of Alan. My wife and I were personal friends with him for many years and there are few people who are as nice or who care about people, as Alan does.

Unfortunately, that does not mean that he has the legal standing to do one thing to assist his former customers. Does that mean that he sold Wondertouch and ran off with a boatload of money? I am sure he wishes that were true but insiders know that is not the case at all. Alan had worked his proverbial buns off trying to grow and expand particleIllusion but with every change of operating systems, hardware architectures, etc., his work piled up and became more than was humanly possible to achieve.

If you want to keep busting Alan’s chops, I will happily point out that Alan poured heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into making and growing particleIllusion. But he NO LONGER has legal standing to write, change, grant access to, modify, or anything else related to particleIllusion. He gave up that right when he sold Wondertouch to GenArts, in the hope that a bigger company with a far larger team could finish what he had much more than merely started. That things later went off the rails is not what Alan hoped for nor expected.

Busting his chops shows little understanding of the circumstances or any respect for one of the truly nice and caring people in this industry.

I have no idea whatsoever what Boris expects to do with particleIllusion, if anything. But I have known Boris Yamnitsky for decades now and must say that if — and that is a BIG if — anyone can get the ball over the finish line, it will be Boris. Again, I am not saying that Boris intends to do anything with PI. But it would not surprise me in the slightest to see him go in either direction, whether he chooses to let it die or update it.

But in the end, that is in no way a decision that Alan can make at this point. He lost his rights years ago. He had to move on and I wish him every success in whatever he does. He truly is a man that both Kathlyn and I consider a friend and one of the kindest people we ever met in this industry.

Best regards,

Ronald Lindeboom
CEO, Creative COW LLC

Creativity is a process wherein the student and the teacher are located in the same individual.

[Bob Moyer]

Mr. Lindeboom,
Since Francois and myself seem to be the only ones in this thread, I resent the comment about ‘busting his chops’. No one has accused Alan of running off with a bunch of money and no one has attacked his integrity. I, for one, was hoping Alan could lobby (as former owner/developer) of particle illusion on our part to the current owner that if they were going to let it die, then perhaps they could release it as freeware. I, personally continue to use the software and am concerned about installing it on a new computer in the future. Perhaps it would run under Win10, 11, etc., but if we cannot register it we will never know. Again I personally apologize to Alan if he misinterpreted my comments.

Bob Moyer

[Francois Blawat]

Hi Bob & Mr Lindeboom,

As Bob indicated I do not think we were “busting Alan’s chops”. I was simply concerned about this awesome software and how we can continue getting it registered in the future. Since Alan did promise me via email that he would release a patch or something so I could continue to use this software, I think it was only fair to be asking so everyone else could get this “Patch” If necessary I can post the original email that Alan had sent.

Of course there are illegal tools anyone could use but I would prefer that software that I use and Paid for still be available to me to the legal way. GenArts has been very weak at least in terms of what they were planning and only after you wrote a message Mr. Lindeboom did GenArts give further information.

I would like the promise be upheld by GenArts – now Boris to release a tool so valid paid for customers can continue to use this great tool. I do also personally apologize to Alan if he misinterpreted my previous comments. Thank you Bob for all your comments as well trying to keep this forum alive.

I do hope that Boris “does the right thing” for this great tool.

Francois

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FixitMad